OBJECTIVES: Excessive screen use in early school age is associated with worsened health habits and negative child development in later age. We aimed to assess the time spent on modern and traditional screen-based devices and examine its associations with socio-demographic characteristics. METHODS: This population-based cross-sectional observation study was conducted in Czechia, Slovakia and Finland between April and June 2021. Participants (N = 1,915) were parents/caregivers of children attending elementary school grades 1 to 3, selected by stratified random sampling. Children's daily leisure screen time (LST) based on parental reports was the main outcome. Descriptive statistics, mean comparison and linear regression analysis were used for the analysis. RESULTS: The average daily LST was found to be as high as 3.5 hours and significantly associated with most socio-demographic variables. Eighty percent of children exceeded the threshold of two hours of LST per day, which was formerly introduced by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The most important predictor of LST in children was having their screen-based device(s) for their exclusive personal use (EPU). Linear regression with all predictors assessed together confirmed the significant effect of the screen-based devices' EPU, the child's sex and grade, the child's birth order and the parent's education, even when controlled for media parenting practices. CONCLUSIONS: Given the widespread availability of smartphones for exclusive personal use among young children, the regulation of EPU and the reinforcement of effective media parenting practices, particularly in families with lower education and income, are critical public health strategies to mitigate the negative impact of excessive screen time on child development and overall well-being.
- Klíčová slova
- children, computer, early school age, prevention, screen time, screen use, smartphone, tablet, television,
- MeSH
- čas strávený před obrazovkou * MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- průřezové studie MeSH
- sociodemografické faktory MeSH
- socioekonomické faktory MeSH
- volnočasové aktivity * MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- multicentrická studie MeSH
- pozorovací studie MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika epidemiologie MeSH
- Finsko epidemiologie MeSH
- Slovenská republika epidemiologie MeSH
OBJECTIVE: Dietary pattern analysis constitutes a suitable method for identifying complex food preferences as well as a useful tool for comparing dietary behaviour across individual populations. In addition to a lack of information on Central European dietary patterns, dietary data featuring a longitudinal aspect are likewise largely unavailable for the region. Our study thus strives to address this gap by analysing children's dietary patterns, their stability and possible changes at 7, 11 and 15 years in the Czech part of the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC-CZ). DESIGN: We analysed dietary data based on the self-reported semi-quantitative FFQ obtained in 1998, 2002 and 2006. Dietary patterns were derived using factor analysis for each period, followed by the determination of dietary pattern stability across the individual periods. SETTING: The analysis of dietary patterns was based on longitudinal children's dietary data from the geographical region that was undergoing massive socio-economic changes at the time of birth of the study subjects. PARTICIPANTS: All participants were children. At 7 years the analysis included 3220 children, at 11 years the analysis included 2509 children and at 15 years the analysis included 1589 children. RESULTS: Two stable children's dietary patterns labelled as 'prudent' and 'junk food' were identified across all three time points (7, 11 and 15 years). CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies stable longitudinal trends in the dietary behaviour of children enrolled in the ELSPAC-CZ study.
- Klíčová slova
- Children, Cohort study, Diet, Dietary patterns, European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood, FFQ, Longitudinality,
- MeSH
- dieta * MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- longitudinální studie MeSH
- preference v jídle * MeSH
- stravovací zvyklosti MeSH
- těhotenství MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- těhotenství MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
